Paper Towel and Local Cafe Sounds: Free Ableton Live Pack #110

There's Music Everywhere

As a sound designer, I'm always keeping an ear open for unusual ways to create music. One such opportunity arose at a local cafe, when the paper towel dispenser ran out of paper towels. We were left with just the cardboard tube. Although bad news for my friend's hot-chocolate-covered fingers, I had found a new toy. I spent a few moments tapping on the tube, admiring the hollow sounds coming from it, and then took out my iPhone to record its sound. One thing I like about recording samples with my iPhone, in public, is that there's a lo-fi quality to the recording and you inevitably get some interesting background noises. (A good example of this is the Noisy Bar Violin Ableton Live Pack).

TIP: I uploaded the sound to my Dropbox, and inside a folder called "Dropbox Ideas." I keep a link to that folder inside my Places in Live's Browser, so the next time I open Live, any samples I've uploaded to Dropbox will be there, ready for action.

From there, I built the drum rack I now offer to you for free download. The paper towel sounds are pretty cool, but there are also some nice background noises and voices, which worked out to be nice percussive sounds. So check out the video below, then make some music using a paper towel roll and some sounds from my local cafe! Send me any music you make with it here, and please help spread the word to our fellow producers. Thanks!

The First 100 Free Ableton Live Packs in One Convenient Download

I've archived the first 100 of my Free Ableton Live Pack series into one convenient download. It's $14.99, and you could of course download the racks individually for free, but this will save you some time and helps pay the bills around here. Thanks a lot for your support!

AfroDJMac is the work of Brian Funk, a New York-based musician, producer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He's a writer, podcaster, and curious sound designer who loves to share his knowledge about music production and the creative process.